Dear Prudence (advice column)

The column was initiated on 20 December 1997. "Prudence" was a pseudonym, and the author's true identity was not revealed at the time. Slate's archive currently indicates that the author of those first columns was Herbert Stein. Stein ceased writing the column after three months and the column went on hiatus.

In mid-March 1998, the column returned, with the explanation that "Prudence" had not come back from her "needlework"—per the explanation offered in Stein's last column—but rather had convinced her daughter and namesake to continue her work. While similarly anonymous at first, the new author of the column was eventually revealed to be Margo Howard,[https://web.archive.org/web/20100616033636/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-04-01/features/0104010410_1_eppie-lederer-dear-abby-margo-howard Rick Kogan, "Women Of Letters: Pauline And Jeanne Phillips (dear Abby). Eppie Lederer (ann Landers). And Now Margo Howard (dear Prudence). In This Family, The 'Advice Gene' Clearly Is Dominant", Chicago Tribune, April 1, 2001.] the daughter of Esther Lederer, a.k.a. Ann Landers.

Howard maintained the column for nearly eight years. Her last Dear Prudence column appeared in Slate on 2 February 2006. Howard then had a Creators Syndicate advice column called "Dear Margo", whose run ended on Friday, 10 May 2013.{{cite web|title=PureWow: Women's Fashion, Beauty, Life Hacks & Recipes|url=http://www.wowowow.com/dear-margo/dear-margo-be-well/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630165710/http://www.wowowow.com/dear-margo/dear-margo-be-well/|archive-date=June 30, 2013|website=www.wowowow.com|access-date=May 11, 2013}}

On 9 February 2006,{{cite web|last=Interactive|first=Washingtonpost.Newsweek|title=Emily Yoffe Becomes The New Voice Behind Slate's 'Dear Prudence'|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/emily-yoffe-becomes-the-new-voice-behind-slates-dear-prudence-55138522.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630043700/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/emily-yoffe-becomes-the-new-voice-behind-slates-dear-prudence-55138522.html|archive-date=June 30, 2013|website=www.prnewswire.com|access-date=May 2, 2013}} Dear Prudence was taken over by Slate staffer Emily Yoffe. Beginning in the summer of 2007, when Slate video magazine Slate V was launched, Yoffe also appeared in short, videorecorded Dear Prudence clips, illustrated with animations.

In November 2015, Daniel M. Lavery, writer and co-founder of The Toast, took up the "Prudence" role from Yoffe,{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/briefing/slate_fare/2015/11/mallory_ortberg_will_be_the_next_dear_prudence_succeeding_emily_yoffe.html|first=Julia|last=Turner|title=Meet Our New Dear Prudence Columnist|website=Slate|date=November 9, 2015|accessdate=March 13, 2018}} but wrote as Mallory Ortberg until April 2018.{{cite web |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/04/dear-prudence-what-to-do-when-youre-feeling-left-behind.html|title=Help! My Friends' Triumphs Make Me Feel Like I'm Falling Behind in Life|website=Slate|date=April 24, 2018|accessdate=May 25, 2020}} In June 2016, Slate launched the "Dear Prudence" podcast to accompany the column.{{cite web |title=Coming Soon: Dear Prudence |url=https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/slate/dear-prudence/e/45213545 |website=Stitcher |publisher=Slate |accessdate=10 November 2018}} Lavery, usually accompanied by one or two guests, discusses and responds to additional letters in weekly episodes.

Lavery moved on from the role in May 2021.

File:Jenée Desmond-Harris at the San Francisco Public Library.jpg

Writer and New York Times Opinion Editor Jenée Desmond-Harris took over the column starting June 3, 2021.{{Cite journal|url=https://slate.com/briefing/2021/06/jenee-desmond-harris-dear-prudence-columnist.html|title=Jenée Desmond-Harris Takes over as Slate's Dear Prudence Columnist|journal=Slate |date=3 June 2021}} R. Eric Thomas took over during Desmond-Harris' parental leave in spring and summer 2022. Desmond-Harris took another parental leave from September 2024 to the end of March 2025 and Delia Cai filled in.{{cite web |last1=Cai |first1=Delia |title=Help! I Told My Wife I Wanted to Meet Up With Old Pals on a Family Trip. She Chose the Nuclear Option. |url=https://slate.com/advice/2024/12/family-vacation-old-friends-wife-marriage-advice.html |website=Slate |date=9 December 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Desmond-Harris |first1=Jenée |title=Help! I Think My Friend Would Highly Benefit From Plastic Surgery—and It’s My Duty to Tell Her. |url=https://slate.com/advice/2025/03/friend-advice-plastic-surgery-dating.html |website=Slate |access-date=19 April 2025 |date=31 March 2025}}

The title of the column is a reference to the Beatles song "Dear Prudence".

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• [https://archive.today/20130202132022/http://www.slate.com/articles/life/dear_prudence.archive.html Dear Prudence archive at Slate]

Category:Advice columns

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